Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: I was inspired by some of audreyii-fic's wonderful fics to write this. I have rarely done Twilight, but I wanted to depict Bella being raised on La Push from the time that she was a baby. Title is from song by Buffy Sainte-Marie and covered famously by the Indigo Girls. Note: the phrases in italics are not actually Quileute; I could not find an effective translator. Please, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: The Girl Cub

**Chapter 1: The Girl Cub**

Billy Black had always been a light sleeper.

From the time he was small, his father had taught him to rest his body with one eye always open, lest there were bloodsuckers in the woods. As a boy, Billy had always found the warning cute, even if he did know that magic whispered its way through their land, and had for years. But it had also been years since any Quileute had even _seen_ a vampire. The treaty with the Olympic Coven had been set in stone by Emphraim Black, Billy's grandfather. And all tribal elders had honored it since. The wolves would not come on the bloodsuckers' lands, and the bloodsuckers would not trespass on theirs. And there could absolutely be no harm done to the pale faces - humans, others might call them.

But here on La Push, pale face was also shorthand for one thing - white people, specifically.

Billy Black had never been a racist. Nor his father, or his father before him. But each successive Black had known the white people's power, and respected it. There was no other option _but_ to respect it. Hundreds of years earlier, when Washington had been a territory just submitted into the Union, the Great White Father (later known endearingly as the Feds), had approached their tribe with a treaty of a very different kind. It brought peace, like with the Olympic Coven, but now only part of the land remained theirs. The Quileutes would live on a reservation set up by the federal government - a community along the beaches christened as La Push - and there they would remain. It was still their land, to be sure, and the Quileutes loved it covetously. Though there could still be heard some grumblings from the proudest members of the tribe; Ray Lahote was by far the worst offender, nursing his bitterness and resentment towards the pale faces the way one might nurse a bottle of alcohol.

Not that that mattered - Ray Lahote was _always_ drunk. It was nothing less than a miracle that he had never appeared to lay a hand on Paul, his three-year-old son.

And if that was a drunken Ray Lahote now pounding on his door at three AM, Billy thought darkly as he swung his legs out of bed and reached for his cane, he would throw back the deadbolt and then promptly stick said cane up the man's ass so far, his teeth would rattle.

Throwing back the deadbolt and turning the lock with a click, Billy prepared to do just that, but stopped short, his dark eyes blinking so that the lashes caught droplets of the driving rain.

Billy could see why the white folk were known as pale faces. Because standing before him was now the palest face he had ever seen. The face of his best friend.

Billy Black and Charlie Swan had known each other since they were children. Best friends with Harry Clearwater (a Council member of the Tribe), the three were inseparable. Billy had fond childhood memories of sitting in the kitchen with his pals while his mother baked them cookies. Charlie had risen through the ranks to become the Chief of Police, for the little town of nearby Forks, Washington. Fallen in love, married a girl by the name of Reneé Dwyer. The Tribe hadn't approved, but kept it to themselves. None of them had ever had a harsh word to say about Charlie Swan; Billy's mother had even tried to - with a cluck of her tongue and a twinkle in her eye - set Charlie up and play matchmaker, pairing him with a "nice Quileute girl." Then a baby could be one of theirs and know their ways. Charlie Swan had always felt like family to the tribe; wouldn't it be peachy to make it official?

Something else was peachy, all right, but it was only the skin of Charlie Swan's baby daughter. The girl had been born just three months earlier, Charlie bursting with pride and thrusting the bundle in everyone's faces, boasting about his child to any member of the Tribe who would listen. Isabella was an adorable thing, to be sure, and that would continue as she grew - there was no denying Reneé was a fine-looking woman. She just came off as... flighty, somehow. Whenever she came to visit. In a less enlightened time, someone would have mistaken her clipped thoughts as insanity and locked her up in an asylum somewhere. Billy's mother would describe it as "having a head in the clouds."

And for whatever reason that Charlie Swan was now on his front porch in the wee hours of the morning with Bella and sobbing, Billy suspected that head-in-the-clouds Reneé had something to do with it. "Charlie? What's happened?"

"She's left me," Charlie moaned, and if he'd had a flask in his hand, there was no doubt he would have taken a swig of it. "Can't stand to live here, she says. I know I've been taking on too many hours at the station, I get that, but couldn't she have at least stayed for her daughter?"

Oddly enough, Bella was still sleeping. Billy could see her swaddled up and dreaming away through what looked like bedclothes. He gave a jerk of his head. "Get her inside before you both catch your death of cold!" Charlie stumbled past him. Billy lingered behind, first looking to his left and then his right. He didn't want to wake up the whole damn reservation, but he didn't want to use the phone either. In this kind of situation, between choosing whether to face death at the hands of the whole Tribe or the hands of this one man, Billy would gladly take his chances with the Tribe.

"HARRY!" He boomed. His voice was like the winter wind, and loud enough to wake the dead. And maybe even the undead. But not the Council, he hoped. There was a time and a place for Billy to use his Alpha voice.

From the next house over, Harry Clearwater stumbled out onto the front porch, cursing and swearing and a bathrobe wrapped around his waist. A double-barreled shotgun was hinged open, balanced along his arm as he struggled to get the cartridges in. The porch light came on, followed by his wife, Sue, in her nightgown, looking all a-fright.

"William Black, Jr.!" Harry growled, abandoning the shotgun in favor of stomping none too gently over to his next-door neighbor. "You'd better damn well have a good explanation for this!"

Billy glowered. "Shut your muzzle and get in here. Our friend's in trouble!" He needn't elaborate. Harry paused, brown eyes widening.

"She didn't," he gaped. Billy could only nod grimly. Apparently so.

"He's inside."

Sue had a hand to her mouth. "That _bitch_!" she whispered fiercely. Only the men heard her.

Harry took the porch steps two at a time and was in the Black house in seconds. He found Charlie with his head upon the tabletop, head in his arms. Sarah Black bustled around him, preparing a mug of tea. When the kettle began to whistle, Billy got to it faster than she did, ignoring how it burned his hand in the process.

"You wanna wake up the twins?" he hissed. Rachel and Rebecca were sleeping in the next room. All the same, the adults' heads snapped as one to the little bundle on the tabletop. A soft cooing could be heard, then the sound fell off again. Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Swinging one leg over, he sat across from his dear friend.

"I'd ask you if it wasn't true, but then you wouldn't be here, would you?" In answer, Charlie shook his head dumbly. "So, she's gone, then? Just like that? Did she leave a note?"

Another shake of the head. "She didn't have to. She yelled at me hoarse for thirty minutes before she peeled out."

Sarah gaped in horror. Sue darkly murmured That Bitch again. Harry ignored both of them, and let Charlie continue. "It was her income that allowed us to pay the mortgage on the house..." (Reneé had maintained consistent work as an art teacher at the Forks Elementary school). "I'll have to sell it, unless I can give myself another shift on the force. But where would we go?"

In the amber light, Sue's face was firm. "Here, of course."

Harry's jaw dropped. He loved Charlie like he loved a brother, but... a pale face living _here_? On the Rez? It had simply never been done. "Sweet Sue..."

"Don't '_Sweet Sue_' me," his wife snapped, and she crossed over to Charlie, putting her arm around him. "Billy has the spare garage in the back; with a little work, you could make it a separate dwelling, all your own. You and the baby wouldn't be disturbed. Billy would do that; wouldn't you, Billy?"

Caught flat-footed by the plan, Billy nodded mutely. Sometimes, he wondered if Sue would have been more suited living on this Earth as a man - she gave orders like no one else, and those orders were usually obeyed as if the Council itself had rendered them. Fear, thy name is woman. It was unwise to ever cross Sue Clearwater - it just might be the last thing you ever do. She was always right. Even in the rare instance when she was _wrong_... she was right. And Billy didn't have a better idea. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the notion of this one.

"Come and join us, friend. You don't have to work yourself to death over the police force. And you'll have more savings from your income. The girls could watch the little one here... you could still go to work, Bella could go to school... Oh, Charlie, this way we can have our cake and eat it too!" Billy could see it now - fishing every morning, instead of once a week. The weekends, watching a Mariners game, while the twins and Bella played together at their feet. Billy and Charlie fit that type of best friend who couldn't stand to be apart. Now, with Charlie living here, they never would be.

Charlie's brow furrowed, turning the idea over in his mind. "I'd pay rent, of course..."

Sarah shook her head tightly. "Later. We'll talk about it later. For now, go sleep on the couch. You're staying here, Charles Swan, and that's the end of it."

Charlie smiled wanly. "Yes, ma'am." He staggered over to the weathered upholstery in the next room, and nearly keeled over dead. Sue followed after him to drape him with a nice, warm blanket. Sarah picked Bella up in her arms, ignoring Harry's worrisome glare.

"I still don't like it. The Council..."

"The Council can blow it out their ear," Sarah laid down the law flatly. Billy shook his head. His wife _definitely_ hung out with Sue Clearwater too much. But they were pretty much the female version of himself and Charlie, so what could he do?

Besides... to Sarah, Bella was the perfect excuse to have another baby in the house. How could Billy deny her that?

* * *

Despite Sarah and Sue's firm convictions, the proposition of allowing the white Chief of Police and his baby daughter to live on La Push was a hard sell. Tekata, the Tribe's Chieftan, was particularly wary.

"They are not one of us," he voiced his concern for the second time. Billy cocked his head, pretending it was the first.

"Sir?"

"They're not Quileute."

Sarah came forward, putting a protective arm around both her husband and the Swans. "How much English did _you_ speak when the Great White Father came here? Charlie is an _honorary_ Quileute." This, despite the fact that the the Quileutes had not performed an adoption ceremony in years. Supposedly, the stipulation was that only those of non-Quileute blood who were most worthy could be adopted by the Tribe. Whatever the fuck _that_ meant. And only the Council could make that call. Perhaps Billy could call for a motion to adopt, and get it over with.

He didn't know how successful it would be though, with Ray Lahote on the Council and standing in his way. The drunk brooded darkly, looking Charlie up and down and noting Bella in his arms. His expression - as a reflection of his attitudes - was very clear. It was the face of someone who often weakly used the line, _'I'm not racist, BUT...', _while disguising it as loyalty to their own tribe."They are pale faces. No pale faces live here. And those who ever did were mothers who left."

Billy pounced. "Oh, like how Loretta left _you_?" The entire meeting hall stiffened as Ray glowered. Billy gave it right back to him, before Ray turned his attention back to the Swans, specifically Bella.

"Now: about the girl... what is to become of her as she grows?"

Charlie cleared his throat, his face mustachioed but quivering. "Billy and I thought that... well, she could go to the Reservation school..."

"Absolutely not!" a Council member shot down to Ray and Billy's right. A chorus of indignant voices went up, which Tekata quickly quelled. He too was studying the Swans, but no longer out of mistrust (like Ray) but rather... fascination.

"Great White Father's Holy Book says these souls are strangers in a strange land. In our language and laws, we are bound to not turn them away, or may our flesh be eaten by wolves."

"Amen!" the Council intoned like it was a reflex, before spitting reverently on the ground. Tekata ignored them, stroking his chin curiously, his gaze remaining on Bella. "A strange, strange exception, this tiny turtle dove is..." he murmured quietly. He sat back in his chair finally. "Very well. Let the turtle dove remain here, to live on our land and schooled by our teachers." There was an instant uproar, led by Ray Lahote, but Tekata again ignored them. "I am the Morning and the Evening Wolf..."

"But, sir..." Ray began.

"I waive all writing that may forbid we harbor them here, and let it be known that this White Swan and his little turtle dove are to be our brother and our sister."

Ray's jaw dropped. "You wish to perform... an adoption ceremony?" There was a quiet murmuring, warring between assent and dissent.

Tekata leaned back again. He was smiling serenely, the expression almost silly, as if he had taken one too many hits from a bong. At any rate, Billy thought he looked and sounded like Jedi Grandmaster Yoda on weed. "No. Not yet. In time, perhaps. The little turtle dove, this... Bella... she will prove herself worthy. I will watch her closely." He cleared his throat; the business side of him was suddenly back. "Council adjourned."


	2. Chapter 2: Little Turtle Dove

**Chapter 2: Little Turtle Dove**

Little Bella Swan bounded through the back door of the Black residence ahead of her father. Inside the kitchen, Sarah Black was already serving her rambunctious daughters and her three-year-old son. Standing on the eating bench, Bella pressed a shy kiss to Sarah's temple.

"Morning, Mama Sarah!"

Sarah smiled with affection. "Good morning, little turtle dove." Bella promptly plopped down in her seat, accepted her bowl of oatmeal meekly, and began doodling with some crayons. At least until the customer across from her took one of her crayons away.

"Jacob! That's _my_ blue one!" she whined. Her lip trembled, and a chastened Jacob immediately handed it back. He hated to see his dear friend cry.

"Sowwy, Bells," he murmured.

Before long, it was time for school. Rebecca and Rachel were bickering as Sarah led her seven-year-olds out the door. A quiet Bella followed, book bag in hand, and the three little girls boarded the reservation school bus. It had seen better days, with a faded paint coat of yellow, but Billy had managed to fix up the engine following a particularly bad snowstorm last winter. The bus now rumbled along past the general store that old Bidziil ran, on the way to the tribal school. Bella just held her bag close to her chest, big, brown eyes darting about. It was already the end of her first week, but still, she was somewhat scared. Jacob wasn't with her, she missed her Daddy, she was alone -

And none of the other children looked like _her_. They didn't have white skin like _her_. Yesterday, a boy named Embry Call had walked up to her and called her pretty, and asked if she was a baby angel. Flushing, Bella had stammered out no. She wasn't an angel, and she could not remember if she had ever been a baby. After all, to be a baby, you were supposed to have a mother, and Bella didn't have one. According to the twins, Mama Sarah didn't count.

Rachel and Rebecca guided Bella to her classroom with the other small kindergartners, and when the clock struck eight, their teacher, Mrs. Ateara, walked in. "Good morning, children," she greeted in Quileute.

"Good morning, Mrs. Ateara," Bella said back with the other kids, and in fluent Quileute. Mama Sarah had been teaching her Quileute since she was a baby.

The day started with Circle Time, followed by Centers. Blissful fun that small children should always have. Being of a shy nature, Bella would usually spend these hours reading a book and not talking unless she was directly addressed. The Quileute children were nice, of course, but Bella always had the distinct sense - even at her young age - of being the Other. She knew that Sesame Street song by heart: "One of these things is not like the other..." And she could tell why, just by looking down at her pale skin. When members of the tribe passed her in the street, she always turned heads. Daddy said it was because Bella was very pretty, but Bella knew better. She heard the whispers, mostly intonations of an alias: Little Turtle Dove. After checking out a book on Native Americans from the Reservation Library, and also watching Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves one night on TV, Bella had gone to Mama Sarah and asked if Little Turtle Dove was her given Indian name. Following a stunned staring contest for three minutes, Mama Sarah had let out a trill of a laugh and shook her head. When Harry Clearwater heard about it, he hooted and slapped his knee so hard, he was given an Aspirin or two and sent straight off to bed. True, the Quileute did have Indian title names... but they were not often spoken aloud, except for special occasions.

It didn't make Bella feel any less different. Even her given Quileute Indian name - such as it was - _sounded_ white.

The school bell rang to signal the end of the day, and Bella ran out with the chattering children. Charlie's police cruiser added to the conspicuosness of their presence; at least the lights weren't flashing. Bella recalled that it had been a battle within the Council to even let Charlie drive his cruiser on tribal lands. Mr. Lahote in particular had opposed it most vehemently. But Tekata, the tribal chief, stated they could only stand to gain having a police officer - especially the Police Chief - on hand and on site, to keep the peace. Bella had seen Tekata sometimes, on his front porch. He always smelled of cinnamon. And the look he gave her was always an intense but kind stare.

Meekly, Bella climbed into the backseat. They were scarcely out of the parking lot when Bella asked:

"Can I go see Jacob?" She wished every day that he was old enough to attend school with her - at least _he'd_ be her friend. She missed the carefree mornings playing in the Black kitchen and being with Mama Sarah.

Charlie regarded her through the rearview mirror. "Yes, sweetie, but not at his house. Tekata has called a bonfire meeting. We're going to Second Beach."

Bella perked up, intrigued. "_Second_ Beach?" she repeated, making sure she had heard correctly. She and Daddy went to First Beach all the time; it was on the edge of the reservation and open to the public. But Second Beach and Third Beach... those were for official Quileute members only. It was the one condition Tekata had laid down after allowing for father and daughter Swan to stay here. Seeing as his daughter needed only just one beach on which to play and not three, Charlie had not complained; the request was more than reasonable. But even he had been shocked when Billy passed along the missive about the meeting tonight, at the outpost Charlie had furbished as the unofficial La Push Police Station. The building housed his office and a loft for sleeping above, in case he had to work long nights; in those instances, Bella slept over at either the Clearwaters or the Blacks.

Father and daughter pulled round the back of the Black residence, to the little two-car garage that was their home. Sarah Black was clearly a saint; the rent was practically nothing. If Washington State bothered to have laws regulating renting prices for tenants, it should have been illegal. The rest of the property was eerily quiet.

"Let's get you dressed, sweetie," Charlie hurried his daughter along, bathing her and changing her into her dress. "Everyone is waiting."

It was sunset by the time Bella and Charlie reached Second Beach, the orange glow extending across the tide. That did not shield the bonfire from giving off its own light, around which stood what must have been the entire tribe. Upon seeing the pair, the crowd parted, to reveal Tekata. Upon seeing Bella, he smiled kindly. His gaze always made Bella feel like she was important - not different, just important. Like she belonged.

Little did she know, that was the exact purpose of this meeting. Tekata raised his arms, palms up, in greeting. "Welcome, Swan family. Will the one they call Bella please step forward?"

Wide-eyed, Bella timidly did as the Chief said. Tekata beamed. "The Council has decided, and I have decreed, that our people wish to make you our child. Give you Quileute name - Little Turtle Dove - to only be spoken in loving reverence. Here are teeth of many bears." He placed a small necklace of bear teeth around Bella's neck. Around him, the other tribal members chuckled knowingly, affectionately. Kissing her on both cheeks, Tekata murmured, "Bless you, my child. You are Quileute forever."

"Ka Ka! Ra! Ka Ka! Ra!" The Council took up a war chant. Tekata continued. "Will the one they call Charlie Swan please step forward?"

The fire light did nothing to hide that Charlie was blushing beet red. Tekata presented his gift. "Give you Quileute name - Swan Who Plays With Thunder - to only be spoken in loving reverence. Here is a leather whip from many horses." Charlie seemed truly touched by the Chief's Goodwill. He turned even redder when Tekata kissed him on both cheeks. Bella giggled.

"Ka Ka! Ra! Ka Ka! Ra!" The Council cheered again.

The party lasted long into the night. Bella wandered around Second Beach with her friends, until Jacob, the twins and the Clearwaters got too tired and were coralled away to bed. This left Bella alone to wander in the surf.

She hadn't gone very far, had heard no one approach behind her, when suddenly she found herself flat on her back in the low tide. Ray Lahote, alcohol dripping down from his breath, loomed over her leering, pinning the little girl in the surf.

"Let's see if Little Turtle Dove knows how to squawk," he jeered, and began undoing the buckle at his pants. Bella whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as a ghastly thing of skin caught the moonlight. What was going on? She was frightened!

A sudden bellow - her father's voice - wafted to her ears. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Something silver then flashed in the moon's glow, followed by a BANG! - and the full weight of Ray Lahote collapsed on top of Bella in the damp sand. Bella screamed, but the dead weight was soon being removed. She sensed, rather than saw, the arms of Mama Sarah clutch her close and spirit her away. The last thing she heard was Harry Clearwater chortling nervously, "We sure gave you the right name, didn't we, Charlie?"

Ray Lahote was buried unceremoniously at sea. Insisting on an investigation, Charlie had the Forks Police Department place him under arrest and on trial. The inquiry was held in the tribal court, and the Council determined that Charlie had acted in self-defense. He was cleared of all charges. Young Paul Lahote was officially made a ward of the state, sent to live with his grandmother on the far side of the reservation.

* * *

None of the tribal children held Ray's actions against Paul, though. He was still invited to play with the other kids on the beaches. These outings were more often than not presided over by Sam Uley.

Sam Uley was the oldest of the reservation children, and quite mature for his age. The parents adored him, and they held no qualms entrusting him with their babies. Sam organized the group like a wolf would corral his cubs. He kept a close eye on the little white girl, Bella Swan. Bella thought Sam was intimidating, but he protected her and that made her feel important. Sam largely did so because he knew Bella was favored by his almost-little brother, Jacob Black. Anyone with eyes could see that the two little ones suited each other. The parents would sometimes fantasize about Bella and Jacob being married one day... but only when Charlie was well out of earshot. "They like the match," Sarah had confessed to her husband one day.

Billy laughed it off. "Bella is too young to be bethrothed, never mind married."

Sarah just eyed him seriously. "What about... imprinting?" _That_, Billy couldn't answer.

One morning, Sam and his buddy Jared Cameron were supervising the little ones on Second Beach. The Quileute children were alone... at least until a group of white teenagers made their way down the shoreline.

Seeing them approach, Sam snarled. Pale faces knew that Second Beach was off-limits; there was a sign and everything. Standing so that the bones in his back cracked, he thrust out his muscles as he bore down on the white kids menacingly. "This Beach is off-limits to outsiders."

The teenagers' leader cocked a ruffled eyebrow. "You mean white people?"

"Pale faces... yes, that's what I mean."

In retrospect, he should not have been goaded into making such a racial boundary explicit... especially with an apparent loophole sitting right there in the sand.

"Fuck outta here, redskin! What about her? Why is she with you?" And the lead teenager pointed accusingly at Bella, who shrank against Leah Clearwater's side.

"Yeah, white girl! Tell 'em we can play here too!"

Sam glowered. "Bella Swan is Quileute. She is one of us, no matter what her skin color is!" That was Tekata's decree and Tekata's word was law, superior even to the Alpha of the Protectors.

"Bullshit," another white kid spat. "We have a right to be here, same as your vanilla play toy!"

"Leah, take Bella home," Sam ordered her without turning around.

"But -" Bella whimpered.

"Little Turtle Dove! _Era ja sai_! Do as I say!" Sam ordered in his Alpha voice. The white teenagers snickered at Bella's given Quileute name.

"And what's your nickname, redskin? Teen Wolf?" someone cracked.

None of them knew how eerily close that was, nor how closer they were to finding out. If he hadn't been catching the light, the others would've seen Sam's body rippling. One tick away from -

Everyone heard the growl in his throat, as Sam bellowed, "GO!" The white teenagers scampered away in terror.

Later, Sam Uley was given a long, hard talk by Billy Black, ordering him to not almost lose his temper again. It was bad enough to nearly phase in front of humans.

What Billy didn't say, but every adult knew, was that Sam's close call indicated an incoming threat of a very different kind.


	3. Chapter 3: Thirteen Years Later

**Chapter 3: Thirteen Years Later**

Bella Swan gaped at her father and her pretty much second father in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. When Billy had called for her and said he had an important matter to discuss with her, she hadn't expected this.

"But... but I don't want to go to Forks High School!"

Her father sighed heavily, though at least he made an effort to appear sympathetic. "Bells... it's what's best."

"Bull. The Rez school is fine enough -"

"It's also not affiliated with the College Board," Billy cut across her bluntly. "If you want to go to a university, Isabella, you have to at least have graduated from an institution that is accredited. We can't provide that for you here."

Bella gaped, red-faced and spluttering. "You've provided everything else! My friends are here, my home is here..."

"This is not a choice, daughter!" Billy thundered, only slightly calming when Charlie put a hand on his arm. God, he wished Sarah was still here. His own daughters by blood fled for higher education when their duties compelled them to stay here, but the girl he loved as a daughter and who deserved so much more wanted to stay?_ "Quioocahoick!_ You deserve so much more. When your mother abandoned you, Little Turtle Dove, we gave you a nest! Now it is time for you to spread your wings and fly!" He stamped his cane firmly for emphasis.

Bella's eyes swam with tears; the hurt on her face was apparent. "I thought I was Quileute forever."

Sue Clearwater, who had been summoned over in case just such an argument like this happened, wrapped Bella in a hug. "You _are_, baby. But there is a lot waiting out there, beyond the Tribe. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you can come back here and we will be waiting. But you need to see the world first."

Charlie's eyes were still sad. "I've already enrolled you. You start senior year first thing in the morning."

If looks could kill, Billy's innards would have been splayed along the back wall_. "Esa cuiu vecouga!_ This is so unfair!" And Bella stomped out of the Black house. A dejected Charlie slunk out to the back garage. Billy heaved a great sigh.

"Sometimes I wish that Jacob had imprinted. It would make things so much easier..."

Sue ruffled her friend's hair. "Jacob hasn't phased yet. It could still happen." Secretly, she and half the tribe were wishing that Jacob would imprint on Bella. The pair had been best friends since they were children, and had already fallen deeply in love. Maybe Jacob could talk Bella off the ledge.

* * *

Jacob did talk Bella down, but that didn't mean she felt any better about the situation. Prowling out of her house in the early morning dew the next day, she stopped short when she saw Jacob and half the Quileute boys all loaded into her rusty orange truck, ready to personally escort her to her first day. Even then, she was barely appeased. Sam and the others wouldn't hear her weak refusal of the gesture; the Rez school would be effectively shut down until they showed up, ensuring their day would start an hour later.

Climbing into the driver's side, Bella started the ignition, her expression one of stone. The truck had been a Sweet Sixteen birthday present from her father and Billy; Billy had been the former owner. Jacob rode shotgun, with Sam, Paul, Embry, Jared, Seth Clearwater and Quil Ateara V all rowdily talking in the flatbed.

Jacob placed a tentative hand on his girlfriend's thigh. "You OK, Bells?" She didn't move, causing Jacob to crack a rueful smile. "I know what you need." He bumped his hand along the CD changer, then thumbed along the dial until he reached the right track. Indigo Girls came blasting through the speakers, prompting a chorus of voices to join in from the back:

"_Bury my heart at Wounded Knee... I said, deep in the earth... won't you cover me with all your pretty lies... Bury my heart at Wounded Knee..._."

The whole motley crew came rumbling up to Forks High School about 20 minutes later. Bella got out, noting with possessive envy how all the girls were looking her Quileute brothers up and down approvingly.

"I just have to buy my books from the Student Store, guys," Bella explained, nodding to a tiny shopfront just off the corner of the main building. "Seth can help me."

Seth, the baby of the bunch, eagerly leapt out of the flatbed to help Bella. Meanwhile, the other Quileute boys people-watched the other student passersby. Seeing a gaggle of women approaching, Quil pointed excitedly. "Hey, look! Girls!"

The group drifted closer, and Quil nudged Embry. "Quick! Say something!"

Embry stumbled out of the truck, cutting right into the girls' path. A boy was also with them, with curly blonde hair. At a loss for what to say, Embry pulled out a wad of cannabis. "Care for a chaw of tobacco?"

The girls gasped in affront. "Well, I never!" the blonde boy said with a thick Southern drawl. Another boy, far more muscular and seeing the exchange, wandered over to see what was going on. "Alice, Rosalie, are these guys bothering you?"

In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Jared hopped out of the truck and rushed to Embry's side. "No such thing! All he did was offer them a chaw of..." He faltered. "Why, it's dang good tobacco!"

The muscular boy glowered. "It is, huh?" His fist came out swinging, and before anyone knew it, a fistfight had ensued in the middle of the street. Soon, Paul and Embry had joined the fray, and it quickly drew a crowd around the Student Store and the attention of those inside.

Seth turned back to Bella with a boyish grin. "Hey, look! It's us!" he crowed proudly, watching the fight through the windowpanes. At least until Paul was sent crashing through it.

The shopkeeper gaped. "My window!" Bella quickly paid, stumbling out apologies in a mixture of English and Quileute, before hurrying outside to break up the exchange. By now, Jared was the only Quileute still not injured and holding his own against the other boys. "Stop it, Jared... Stop it this minute!" When he refused to listen, she turned to Quil, Jacob and Sam. "Don't just stand there! Do something!"

"What for?" Sam whined; he seemed to be actively enjoying the display. "It's only a few little ones."

"_Hol talla_! Stop it, ya hear?" Bella snapped at Jared. Jared blocked a hook, threw one punch and then another, until the last of his adversaries were all lying in a heap. Jared looked mighty pleased with himself. "It's stopped."

But the look Bella sent him was murderous. "You _git_ in that flatbed! All of you! Git!" The Quileute boys got in, nervously laughing. "Uh oh! Watch out for Hells Bells!" Quil called.

She didn't take the bait. Rounding the passenger window, Bella pulled Jacob to her and kissed him long and deeply, ignoring the wolf whistles from their friends. "Come pick me up this afternoon - _alone_." She sent one last glare at the other boys, and then left.

It was lucky enough that Embry hadn't been caught on school grounds with marijuana. But when Billy heard about the fight, and more importantly, the dropped names of who it had been with, he knew it meant only one thing:

_The Cullens_.

* * *

It was late at night when the group of seven pale faces skirted amongst the village on the La Push reservation. Only a select few of them held any qualms about breaking the Treaty. Then again, it had been years since they had last lived in Forks.

Edward Cullen, the youngest of the Olympic vampire coven, had noticed Bella Swan in first period that morning. Immediately, the scent of her blood had positively _sang_ to him; it was difficult to resist her blood, restrain himself for even an entire day. Couple that with the fact that he couldn't read her mind, and he was attracted. When told of the fight and how she had broken it up upon arriving with a group of Quileute boys, he knew he had to have her.

"A delectable girl like that raised by dogs? It's indecent! It's a crime!" Edward spat, as he and his family skirted the Black residence, Bella's scent leading them right up to the back apartment garage and its front door.

Alice, not wanting to be accused of so much as breaking in, never mind kidnapping, tried to stop them. "I know this house, I tell you! There's nothing here for you! Just the old man and the girl - they live ordinary lives!"

Carlisle, apparently unconcerned that they were trying to break in to the home of the Forks Chief of Police, ignored his daughter. "Edward needs a mate. And he needs his thirst quenched!" Alice held back his hand as he reached for the padlock.

"I'm going to scream! I'm going to warn them here!" Alice threatened.

Carlisle snarled. "One little scream and you'll regret it for a year!"

He didn't call her bluff. Alice let out a piercing shriek, and a light inside turned on.

Carlisle's eyes flashed. "Out of here, quickly!" He threw Alice back so that she could not follow. "You wait, my girl. You'll rue this night! I'll make you scream - you'll scream, all right!"

By the time Charlie emerged with his shotgun, the Cullens had vanished. Billy seemed to sense something Charlie didn't when he gave his friend a full report. This wasn't over. Whoever had been out there... they would return.


	4. Chapter 4: Imprinted

**Chapter 4: Imprinted**

As she progressed through her senior year at Forks High School, Bella had one obstacle standing in her way. And his name was Edward Cullen.

The boy had been watching her ever since their first day of school. He was clearly very interested in her. It was almost something of an obsession, and Bella did her best to ignore him. Besides, she already had a boyfriend; it would not do to lead Edward on. And pretty soon, he was not her only problem.

Harry Clearwater passed away when Bella was 15, leaving behind his two children, Leah and Seth. Sue Clearwater, who Bella viewed as an aunt, had yet to remarry. Bella had not even seen her go on dates or seen her with anyone.

That would change, as Bella walked in the door one day after school.

She entered the apartment garage to find Sue Clearwater straddled in her dad's lap, the pair openly kissing. Bella gawked, mortified.

"What the hell is this?!"

Sue and Charlie broke apart, flushing. Sue didn't bother to hide her grin. "What's it look like? We're necking."

Bella shook with betrayal, trying and failing to hold the tears at bay. She stomped out of the house and over to the Blacks' front porch to sob.

She knew she shouldn't be so unfair to Sue. The woman had practically raised her, along with Sarah Black, and Bella had never known her mother. Fairly soon, she felt a familiar scent cautiously lower itself beside her.

"Bella..." Sue whispered. She didn't move. "Your dad and I were going to tell you, honest." Another pause, but Bella still said nothing. "I know you miss your mother, and what she did was unspeakably wrong. But your dad is trying to move on. I am, too. Can you at least understand that?"

After a long moment, Bella nodded. Then, as an olive branch: "He can't do much better than you."

Sue smiled, touched by the compliment. The screen door rattled from behind, and Jacob came out to join them.

"Hey, gals! Everything OK?" Just ahead, he waved in greeting to Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron, preparing to join them for a pick-up basketball game and then a swim.

Then his eyes locked with Bella's.

Something strange came over Jacob's face. Then he fell to his knees. Across from him, Bella's eyes held a similar, mysterious expression. Watching the exchange, Sue gasped. "_No la Challa..._" she breathed in Quileute.

Ignoring her, Bella smiled. "_Ja oha oy..._" I love you. Scrambling from the porch, Sue ran off to tell Billy Black, and Bella's dad.

Jared observed the moment with a triumphant smile, knowing the news would be top tribal gossip in a matter of hours. "Jacob imprinted. We can't hurt her. Whoever a wolf imprints on can't be harmed. It's our most absolute law."

Beside him, Paul looked flummoxed. "But who would ever hurt Bella?"

The spell broken, Bella and Jacob looked at their friends and laughed.


End file.
